CRIME
Student found dead
Police on Thursday said that a Malaysian student found dead in her apartment in Taipei that evening appeared to have been strangled. The student, in her 20s, was found dead in her rented residence on Dadong Road and had injuries consistent with strangulation, the Shilin Police Precinct said. The death was reported to Taipei authorities by New Taipei City police at about 6pm after her boyfriend, identified by his family name, Chen (陳), was rushed to a local hospital following an overdose of over-the-counter drugs in what police believe was a suicide attempt. Chen was unconscious and in intensive care, police said, adding that it was he who informed police of the woman’s death. Chinese-language media reported that Chen told officers that he killed his girlfriend before losing consciousness. Taipei police said they were investigating. Anyone who has suicidal thoughts can contact the 1925 or 1995 suicide prevention hotlines for counseling or assistance.
WEATHER
Tropical storm building
A sea alert could be issued today for tropical depression TD23, which was expected to be upgraded to a tropical storm, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday. As of 8am, TD23 was about 1,030km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), with maximum sustained winds of about 43kph near its center, the CWB said. It remained unclear whether TD23 would make landfall in Taiwan, but the CWB forecast it would pass through the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines before veering south. The CWB’s typhoon tracker showed that the periphery of the storm could affect southern Taiwan between 8am tomorrow and 8am on Monday.
SOCIETY
Restaurant site launched
The Tainan City Government yesterday launched a Chinese-English Web site featuring 44 local restaurants that made this year’s Michelin Guide. Among them, 17 were Michelin-starred restaurants, while 27 were named Bib Gourmand restaurants, a distinction given to establishments that offer a three-course meal for a fixed price not exceeding NT$1,000. The site also lists six itineraries created around the Michelin-recommended establishments designed to take people to some of the city’s iconic tourist attractions. People who register on the site would also be eligible to participate in two raffles by playing roulette and filling out a questionnaire for a chance to win coupons ranging from NT$300 to NT$2,000 for use at select Michelin-recommended restaurants in Tainan.
ENTERTAINMENT
Jolin Tsai adds concerts
Singer Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) is to hold six concerts in Taipei from Dec. 31 to mark the end of her “Ugly Beauty World Tour.” In a Facebook post on Thursday, Tsai announced that she is to hold six concerts at the Taipei Arena — three from Dec. 31 to Jan. 2 and three from Jan. 6 to 8 — as the finale to her world tour, which began at the venue on Dec. 30, 2019. The tour has overcome numerous challenges with the spread of COVID-19. Tsai said she would focus on her new album and a future tour after the world tour concludes. Tsai said that she has donated 30,000 limited-edition Ugly Beauty masks to the Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders for a charity sale, in the hope they can help to generate more attention and love for those in need. Tickets to the concerts are to go on sale at 3:28pm on Nov. 5 on the KKTIX ticketing platform.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
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